This amazing guest post was written by Mary Grace, a freelance writer! You can follow her on twitter on @marmygrace.

It’s tempting to buy perfume and perfumed products; no one wants to stink, and the ads make it seem so alluring to spritz on a little bit of luxury. Add a little bit more appeal. But it’s a pretty toxic mess of poison that you’re spraying all over your body and on your pulse points.

It’s a chemical spill on your body that can cause people around you to haveheadaches, nausea, joint pain, or can even trigger eczema. And it isn’t just the liquid that you splash on your wrists from a big glass potion bottle that could be killing you; it’s the scent in your room spray, soap, conditioner, lotion, lipstick, or can even be in a cat collar!

The sort of chemicals you’re spritzing, what products they’re in, locations that have those chemicals in them, and some alternative smells will help you stay healthy and happy.

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Chemicals in Perfume And Fragrance

There are a ton of chemicals that can be found in perfume and ‘fragrances’ that are harmful to your health. Things like acetaldehyde (a probable carcinogen), toluene (or methylbenzene, a neurotoxin), Musk tetralin (brain cell and spinal cord degeneration), or Galaxolide and other synthetic musks that have been associated with toxicity to the endocrine system.

There’s evidence thatphthalates can make you fat, cancerous, or cause developmental issues to arise.

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Where to Find the Smells

There are smells everywhere contributing to endocrine disruptors, growing tumors in your body, and doling out asthma-like it’s going out of style. While you can clear your house of scented and unscented (fragrance-free is a key term to look for) products (yeah, even your deodorant), you can’t always control the environments that you and your child enter.

There are a few relatively safe places and a few places you can make suggestions.

For example. Many federal buildings follow the same rules as the CDC and maintain the “Indoor Environmental Quality Policy” which means that workers in the CDC get five days notice if there is going to be a potential air contaminant introduced into the office (usually via construction), the option to work from home, and an office free from scented products like cleaners, potpourri, or candles. It’s your right toscent free federal and public area. Plus, it’s not just healthier for you, it canrefresh your workspace.

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Some Replacements

If you can’t stop making yourself smell good, you can use a high-quality essential oil. Plus they can be utilized for multiple purposes: helping you concentrate, or you can use them to get alemon-scented cleaner. If you want something similar to the perfumes that you usually use, taking the basic notes from your favorite perfumes can be really rewarding.

I get terrible headaches from super-strong scents, but a combination of orange essential oil with either rosemary or sandalwood is simply my favorite. Or if I’m feeling super basic, spritzing my hair with rosewater also works well and makes me smell amazing. Natural scents are some of the best ways to smell better, live healthier, and can even help youmake your own signature scent.

Mary Grace is a freelance writer based out of the beautiful Boise, Idaho. She loves hiking, skiing, and everything outdoors. If you have any comments or questions, comment down below, or follow her on twitter @marmygrace.

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